Annabelle's Ruth won in the Women's Fiction/General Fiction category, and Saving Eric won in the Action Adventure/Western/Historic Epic Fiction category.
Menu Links
Showing posts with label contest winners. Show all posts
Showing posts with label contest winners. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Two Winners in the Grace Awards
Congratulations to Betty Thomason Owens and Joan Deneve for winning a Grace Award!
Annabelle's Ruth won in the Women's Fiction/General Fiction category, and Saving Eric won in the Action Adventure/Western/Historic Epic Fiction category.
Annabelle's Ruth won in the Women's Fiction/General Fiction category, and Saving Eric won in the Action Adventure/Western/Historic Epic Fiction category.
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Thirsting for More Named Finalist in 2016 Selah Awards
 |
| Thirsting for More by Marie Wells Coutu is a Finalist for the 2016 Selah Awards, sponsored by Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference |
BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. — Edie Melson, Director of the Blue Ridge Mountains
Christian Writers Conference, and Eva Marie Everson, BRMCWC Contest Director,
announce the finalists in the 2016 Selah Awards, awarded to published authors
each year during the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers conference.
The Selah Awards are
open industry wide and internationally to authors published by traditional and
nontraditional publishing houses during the previous year. Winners will be
announced during the awards banquet on May 25. The 2015 Book of the Year award
is chosen by the contest director from the top scores/first place recipients.
This year Thirsting for More (Write Integrity Press), by Marie Wells Coutu, is a finalist in
the category of Fiction:
Contemporary Women.
In this modern-day version of the woman at the
well, the whole city of Charleston seems to be watching, waiting for Northern
transplant and recently hired director of tourism, Victoria Russo, to either
work a miracle or to stumble and fall. The change of geography is a chance for
multi-divorced Victoria to start a new life. Hoping to gain acceptance, she
purchases and tackles the renovation of an historic home, but soon falls back
into her old ways.
Thirsting
for More is the second in the Mended Vessels series,
contemporary stories loosely based on Biblical women that
reveal how God takes broken lives and restores them to usefulness. The first
book, Coutu’s debut novel titled For Such
a Moment, won the Books of Hope award in 2013. The Secret Heart, the third book in the series, will be published
later this year.
Recently, Coutu also received an
honorable mention in the Great Beginnings Contest for an unpublished historical
work-in-progress titled Judgment Between
the Rivers.
Thirsting for More is available from
bookstores and online retailers. For more information, visit www.MarieWellsCoutu.com/books.
 |
| For Such a Moment, Book One in the Mended Vessels Series, is available in print and Kindle formats, on Amazon and other online retailers, and at most bookstores by request. |
Saturday, January 18, 2014
And the winner is ...
Mara Adkins, a promising fashion designer, has fallen off
the ladder of success, and she can’t seem to get up.
In college, Mara and her sorority sisters played an ugly
game, and Mara was usually the winner. She’d date men she considered geeks, win
their confidence, and then she’d dump them publicly. When Mara begins work for
a prestigious clothing designer in New York, she gets her comeuppance. Her
boyfriend steals her designs and wins a coveted position. He fires her, and she
returns in shame to her home in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where life for
others has changed for the better.
Mara’s parents, always seemingly one step from a divorce,
have rediscovered their love for each other, but more importantly they have
placed Christ in the center of that love. The changes Mara sees in their lives
cause her to seek Christ. Mara’s heart is pierced by her actions toward the
twelve men she’d wronged in college, and she sets out to apologize to each of
them. A girl with that many amends to make, though, needs money for travel, and
Mara finds more ways to lose a job that she ever thought possible.
Mara stumbles, bumbles, and humbles her way toward
employment and toward possible reconciliation with the twelve men she humiliated
to find that God truly does look upon the heart, and that He has chosen the
heart of one of the men for her to have and to hold.
A huge thank-you to everyone who has helped us spread the word about Mara's fun Facebook page and her new Facebook group, You Know Your Job is Odd When ... . Mara even faced an uphill battle with Facebook - she was thrown in Facebook jail the very first day because she tried to make friends too quickly. Thanks to all who came to her rescue and friended her on Facebook, since she couldn't request friends.
UPDATE: Mara has been placed in Facebook jail again. She would love to be your friend, but cannot request your friendship for 14 days. Would you mind requesting hers here?
UPDATE: Mara has been placed in Facebook jail again. She would love to be your friend, but cannot request your friendship for 14 days. Would you mind requesting hers here?
We're having great fun with her Odd Job group. Come on over and join the fun if you haven't already.
Chapter One of A Dozen Apologies will be posted here on the Write Integrity blog on Monday, January 20th, so be sure to come back and read all about Mara's grand adventures. I promise she'll make you giggle at least once (maybe even once per chapter!) And we're even going to let the READERS pick her hero, which will determine the final chapter of the book when it releases on February 14th!
Thank you, again, to everyone who has helped us spread the word. The winner of the $50 Amazon gift card is:
Angela Jacobs Howell
Congratulations, Angela! Check your e-mail - the Amazon card was just sent!
Monday, December 16, 2013
Pinterest Contest Winner for A Ruby Christmas
The Pinterest Contest proved quite interesting - some of the images offered quite the challenge.
Readers were presented with two images each day for nine days. They compared the images, and sent in a list of differences in the two photos.
The winner is:
Jaime Sugden
Congratulations, Jaime! Expect an e-mail from me shortly.
Several have asked me to provide the answers, so here they are.
Chapter One - Texas boots. Greenery was added to the window.
Chapter Two - Colorado biker. The "tail" of his orange bandanna is gone.
Chapter Three - Cocoa beach surfer. The dock piling on the far right now has a cover.
Chapter Four - Mountains of Virginia. The curved parking lot originally had two rows, now there are three.
Chapter Five - New York City. Just above and to the left of the "Shred-It" truck, there is a light pole. At the top of the light pole, a gray and red ball has been added. (You'll notice another gray and red ball in the bottom left corner, just above the PD. That was originally there.)
Chapter Six - London. Two changes on this one (although you only had to guess one of them.) Two of the round circles now have the white "honeycomb" windows in them.
Chapter Seven - Paris. Greenery added to the balcony above the blue storefront.
Chapter Eight - South Africa. A light fixture was added to the pole on the right.
Chapter Nine - Guatemala. Clouds were added on the right.
In case you missed any of the blog posts, you can find them all here, with links to the Pinterest contest, the authors' blogs, interviews, guest posts, devotionals, recipes, and more.
Read Chapter One here.
Read Chapter Two here.
Read Chapter Three here.
Read Chapter Four here.
Read Chapter Five here.
Read Chapter Six here.
Read Chapter Seven here.
Read Chapter Eight here.
Read Chapter Nine here.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
The One Hope Nonfiction Winner is ...
I'm very excited to announce the winner of our One Hope Nonfiction contest, because I've "known" this writer's reputation for several years through Faithwriters - she is dedicated, hard-working, and one of the most positive writers I've ever encountered. (She's also warned me about her sense of humor, so it seems she'll be a great fit with the rest of us around here!) I look forward to working with her.
The winner of our One Hope Nonfiction Contest for 2012 is:
Joanne Sher
for her manuscript
Ailing Body Nourished Soul
Joanne Sher is a Jew by birth, a Christian by rebirth, and a
writer by gift. A native Southern Californian, she now lives happily in West
Michigan with her husband and two school-aged children.
She is currently working on a biblical
fiction set during King Saul's reign and centered around the handmaiden of
Saul's youngest daughter Michal.
She is also a regular blogger, not only at her own site, but at the FaithWriters blog. She posts
monthly at Jewels of
Encouragement, The Barn Door, and
Internet Cafe Devotions.
Find her elsewhere on the web:
We'll share more about Joanne's book later in the year.
Don't forget about the 2013 contests:
Books of Joy (win cash prize and publication of a three-book series)
One Joy (cash prize and publication)
Christmas Joy (cash prize and publication)
Thursday, February 28, 2013
One Hope Fiction Winner is ...
We're excited to announce the winner of the One Hope fiction contest. (The jury is still out on the nonfiction entries, so winners will be announced next week.)
Congratulations to
Her winning manuscript, Spinstered, will be published this fall.
Three Colorado Springs friends find themselves over 40 without a wedding or even the hint of a proposal. Can they each handle the struggles of being a single woman who has, in their opinion, passed her prime? Or will they crumble under the grief of broken hearts and lost dreams?
When a younger friend starts dating one of the few available men their age, they come face-to-face with their disappointment. As they question God’s plan for their lives and, specifically, for their singleness, each has to deal with her own particular regrets while embracing her hopes for the future.
More about Sharyn:
Sharyn Kopf knew she wanted to be a writer the moment she wrote her first poem at the age of five. She still considers it one of her best work.
After earning a bachelor’s in communications at Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana, she spent several years working as a newspaper reporter, almost a decade serving as an award-winning radio writer/producer for Focus on the Family, and even took a job for six months penning a television show for an Ohio-based mega-church. Then, for two and a half years, she was the senior writer for the marketing department at Cedarville University (OH).
Most recently, Sharyn has made her living as a freelance writer and editor. Her work has included co-authoring/editing Coping with Traumatic Brain Injury: One Woman’s Journey from Death to Life (published by BookJolt, 2012), writing and directing plays for an annual Cedarville University event, writing and editing numerous web articles, and editing a 400-page manuscript, which was published by Kregel in 2012. A short story she wrote that first introduced her to Spinstered character Catie Delaney will be included in the Western Ohio Writers Association’s 2013 inaugural anthology.
In her spare time, Sharyn plays the piano, makes the best fudge ever, rages against unnecessary uses of the Oxford comma, and watches too much HGTV. She lives in Jamestown, OH, but hopes to move to Bellefontaine soon to be closer to her family, especially her amazing nieces and nephew.
We look forward to sharing more of Sharyn's work with you in the coming months!
Today, Feb 28, is the deadline for the EARLY-BIRD DISCOUNT for our 2013 Contests. Learn all the details on this post. And check back next week when we announce the winner of the nonfiction contest.
PS. Today's the last day Heart Bouquets will be 99 cents! Snag it today before the price goes up!
Congratulations to
Sharyn Kopf
Her winning manuscript, Spinstered, will be published this fall.
Three Colorado Springs friends find themselves over 40 without a wedding or even the hint of a proposal. Can they each handle the struggles of being a single woman who has, in their opinion, passed her prime? Or will they crumble under the grief of broken hearts and lost dreams?
When a younger friend starts dating one of the few available men their age, they come face-to-face with their disappointment. As they question God’s plan for their lives and, specifically, for their singleness, each has to deal with her own particular regrets while embracing her hopes for the future.
More about Sharyn:
Sharyn Kopf knew she wanted to be a writer the moment she wrote her first poem at the age of five. She still considers it one of her best work.
After earning a bachelor’s in communications at Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana, she spent several years working as a newspaper reporter, almost a decade serving as an award-winning radio writer/producer for Focus on the Family, and even took a job for six months penning a television show for an Ohio-based mega-church. Then, for two and a half years, she was the senior writer for the marketing department at Cedarville University (OH).Most recently, Sharyn has made her living as a freelance writer and editor. Her work has included co-authoring/editing Coping with Traumatic Brain Injury: One Woman’s Journey from Death to Life (published by BookJolt, 2012), writing and directing plays for an annual Cedarville University event, writing and editing numerous web articles, and editing a 400-page manuscript, which was published by Kregel in 2012. A short story she wrote that first introduced her to Spinstered character Catie Delaney will be included in the Western Ohio Writers Association’s 2013 inaugural anthology.
In her spare time, Sharyn plays the piano, makes the best fudge ever, rages against unnecessary uses of the Oxford comma, and watches too much HGTV. She lives in Jamestown, OH, but hopes to move to Bellefontaine soon to be closer to her family, especially her amazing nieces and nephew.
We look forward to sharing more of Sharyn's work with you in the coming months!
Today, Feb 28, is the deadline for the EARLY-BIRD DISCOUNT for our 2013 Contests. Learn all the details on this post. And check back next week when we announce the winner of the nonfiction contest.
PS. Today's the last day Heart Bouquets will be 99 cents! Snag it today before the price goes up!
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
And the 2012 Books of Hope Winners Are ...
This week, we've tested the patience of many writers - not on purpose, but out of necessity - as we've tallied the scores from the 2012 Books of Hope finalists.
The 2012 Books of Hope Nonfiction category had few entries, so we named only two finalists back in the fall. One of those entries was disqualified when we learned the submitted book had previously been published. So we declared the other nonfiction finalist a winner by default - but it is indeed well-deserved! The winner receives a cash prize of $500 and a contract for publication of her winning series. We're keeping her busy - she's contracted to write several series for us, so keep an eye out for all her latest releases!
Congratulations to:
First Peter 3:15 instructs us to, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” Who was Peter talking to? What hope was he referring to that they have?
Paul told the Sanhedrin, “I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead.” Why would he be on trial for hope?
In Romans 5:2 Paul said, “We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” What did he mean by that? What did he mean when he said “suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:4)?
Paul claimed “hope does not disappoint us” (Romans 5:5). Today many people feel disappointed and hopeless. They need hope. But what kind of hope is the Bible talking about? Where do we find it? How do we get it?
The Days of Hope series will explore what the Bible has to say about “hope.”
Now we're thrilled to announce one winner and two runners-up in the Books of Hope Fiction contest.
The Winner receives a cash prize of $500 and a contract for publication of her three-book series. The two runners-up each receive a contract for publication of their respective series. We're so excited about these books and can't wait to share them with all of you!
Congratulations to:
The three novels in this series, loosely based on Biblical women, reveal how God takes broken lives and restores them to usefulness. The stories of Queen Esther, the Samaritan woman at the well, and Bathsheba—re-imagined in contemporary terms—demonstrate how the principles of God’s love still apply today. Each is a stand-alone story but the three books are connected by their themes of restoration, forgiveness, and hope through stories of women who find significance in spite of their pasts.
We'll share more about Marie's books very soon - the first in the series will release in June!
About Marie:
Marie Wells Coutu, a debut novelist, has written for business, government, and nonprofit organizations, including the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association for the past fourteen years. The author or editor of five published nonfiction books and hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles, she has edited devotionals and other books published by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. She manages an inspirational website, mended-vessels.com, where she and others blog, review books, and offer inspiration and encouragement.
She has been a finalist in the 2009 ACFW Genesis Contest, 2010 Women of Faith Writing Contest, and placed as a Bronze Medalist in the 2011 and 2012 Frasier Awards sponsored by My Book Therapy.
A graduate of the 2005 and 2008 She Speaks conferences sponsored by Proverbs 31 Ministries, she has spoken to church, ministry, and non-religious groups ranging in size from twenty to three hundred. She presents dramatic readings to church groups, and has been interviewed for newspapers, radio, and television.
She holds BA and MA degrees in journalism from Murray State University (Kentucky), and taught journalism and mass communications at St. Cloud State University (Minnesota). She and her husband live in South Carolina and have two children and three grandchildren.
Marie is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, and served as president of the local chapter, Carolina Christian Writers. She has held various leadership roles for government communicators’ associations and the local historical commission.
Faithful Counsel Chronicles is an inspirational romance series. The trilogy consists of In Love’s Defense, Crimson Ties and Ivy’s Touch. The stories take place in Chicago and revolve around a team of attorneys and the Harrison women they love.
Book One: In Love’s Defense, law student Matti Harrison doesn’t have a say in her law clerk position. She plans to devote her career to help underprivileged women and children, so a high-profile law firm who specializes in litigation doesn’t interest her in the least.
Brought up in a grass-roots middle class family, Matti is intimidated by the social elite. She knows better than to fall into a lifestyle of what her father calls cloned arrogance. So she approaches the clerkship position with one objection―get through the sixteen weeks so she can graduate. The last thing she expects is to fall for her mentor, attorney, Brock Pennington.
Brock, the rising star of the firm nurses a grudge with God because of the death of his mother. Not only was his mother’s death untimely, Brock believes that his Bible-toting step-father’s abuse pushed his mother into a severe depression that eventually led to her overdose. Now Brock has no tolerance for Christians. That is until Matti Harrison steps into his life.
About Mary:
Mary Annslee Urban grew up watching old-time romance movies, which she attributes to her passion for sweet romance, true love and happy endings. A daydreamer at heart, Mary began her writing journey when the youngest of her five children started school. For several years she worked as a freelance writer for newspapers in her community and has written for magazines and online publications.
Raised in the foothills of Arizona, she survived temperature shock when she moved to Western Pennsylvania, before setting in North Carolina with her husband and children. Aside from writing, Mary works part-time as a Registered Nurse in the Behavioral Health field. She is a member of ACFW, and currently serves as vice-president of Carolina Christian Writers. Her two published novels are, Tapestry of Trust, released June 2012, and She Came to See the Snow~A Colorado Christmas Romance, November 2012.
When she isn’t writing, Mary enjoys cooking, traveling to faraway places, playing with grandbabies and all things chocolate.
Find Mary on the Web:
Blog
Facebook
Amazon Author Central
When they were kids, life for sisters NYE and ORIANA SANDERS seemed full of promise. Their parents gave them a happy Christian home in Harper, Pennsylvania, and encouraged them to pursue their dreams with confidence, unafraid of the future. But not long into adulthood, Nye is the first to discover that life isn’t the bed of roses they expected.
In Book One: THIS DANCE
When tango dancer Nye Sanders lost what she loved most, she thought she would never survive the agony. Two years later, Nye has learned to live with the pain. She has a new career and life that have nothing to do with the world and faith she left behind. Not about to repeat mistakes of the past, Nye thinks she can dictate a painless future by staying within the walls of her emotional defenses. She doesn’t plan to meet a handsome lawyer or an elderly landowner—two men who will make her face love and the God she can’t forgive.
Congratulations to all of the winners - and to all of the finalists. You made the selection process very difficult, because the quality of manuscripts we received was excellent!
Winners of the 2012 One Hope contest will be announced next month.
Don't forget - we've announced contests for this year, too! The theme for 2013 is JOY. In the Books of Joy contest, we're seeking series of three or more books; in the One Joy contest, we're seeking standalones; in the Christmas Joy contest, we're looking for Christmas themed books. Books can be fiction or nonfiction. Details are in this post.
(And there's still time to participate in our short story Valentine contest - but the deadline is next week, so you must hurry!)
The 2012 Books of Hope Nonfiction category had few entries, so we named only two finalists back in the fall. One of those entries was disqualified when we learned the submitted book had previously been published. So we declared the other nonfiction finalist a winner by default - but it is indeed well-deserved! The winner receives a cash prize of $500 and a contract for publication of her winning series. We're keeping her busy - she's contracted to write several series for us, so keep an eye out for all her latest releases!
Congratulations to:
2012 Books of Hope Nonfiction Winner
Dianne E. Butts
Days of Hope Series
First Peter 3:15 instructs us to, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” Who was Peter talking to? What hope was he referring to that they have?
Paul told the Sanhedrin, “I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead.” Why would he be on trial for hope?
In Romans 5:2 Paul said, “We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” What did he mean by that? What did he mean when he said “suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:4)?
Paul claimed “hope does not disappoint us” (Romans 5:5). Today many people feel disappointed and hopeless. They need hope. But what kind of hope is the Bible talking about? Where do we find it? How do we get it?
The Days of Hope series will explore what the Bible has to say about “hope.”
Book 1: 50 Days of Hope from the New Testament
In challenging times, where can we find hope that lasts? Does it exist? If it does, how can we get it?
Explore 50 occurrences of the word “hope” in the New Testament and discover what followers of Jesus Christ have to say about hope. Why was Paul on trial because of his “hope in the resurrection of the dead”? Why did Peter instruct us to “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have”?
Discover what they learned about hope, and let hope fill your days.
About Dianne:
Dianne E. Butts is a freelance writer, author, and screenwriter. Her book, Deliver Me, for those in an unplanned pregnancy or with one in their past, is a Christian Small Publishers Association “Book of the Year” award winner and inspired her first short film: http://bit.ly/TheChoiceFilm.
In 2012, she co-authored Grandparenting Through Obstacles: Overcoming Family Challenges to Reach Your Grandchildren for Christ with Renee Gray-Wilburn. That book was recently named the 2012 Book of the Year by The Book Club Network. Also in 2012, Pix-N-Pens published the first in her Prophecies Fulfilled Series - Prophecies Fulfilled in the Birth of Jesus released in November. The second book, Prophecies Fulfilled in the Death and Resurrection of Jesus will release early this spring, and her first novel will be released later this year.
Dianne learned just last week that her latest screenplay is a finalist for the Kairos Prize for Spiritually Uplifting Screenplays. We're so excited for her!
Find Dianne on the Web:
Twitter: @DianneEButts
Now we're thrilled to announce one winner and two runners-up in the Books of Hope Fiction contest.
The Winner receives a cash prize of $500 and a contract for publication of her three-book series. The two runners-up each receive a contract for publication of their respective series. We're so excited about these books and can't wait to share them with all of you!
Congratulations to:
2012 Books of Hope Fiction Winner
Marie Coutu
The Mended Vessels Series
Stories of Finding Significance after Brokenness
The three novels in this series, loosely based on Biblical women, reveal how God takes broken lives and restores them to usefulness. The stories of Queen Esther, the Samaritan woman at the well, and Bathsheba—re-imagined in contemporary terms—demonstrate how the principles of God’s love still apply today. Each is a stand-alone story but the three books are connected by their themes of restoration, forgiveness, and hope through stories of women who find significance in spite of their pasts.
We'll share more about Marie's books very soon - the first in the series will release in June!
About Marie:
She has been a finalist in the 2009 ACFW Genesis Contest, 2010 Women of Faith Writing Contest, and placed as a Bronze Medalist in the 2011 and 2012 Frasier Awards sponsored by My Book Therapy.
A graduate of the 2005 and 2008 She Speaks conferences sponsored by Proverbs 31 Ministries, she has spoken to church, ministry, and non-religious groups ranging in size from twenty to three hundred. She presents dramatic readings to church groups, and has been interviewed for newspapers, radio, and television.
She holds BA and MA degrees in journalism from Murray State University (Kentucky), and taught journalism and mass communications at St. Cloud State University (Minnesota). She and her husband live in South Carolina and have two children and three grandchildren.
Marie is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, and served as president of the local chapter, Carolina Christian Writers. She has held various leadership roles for government communicators’ associations and the local historical commission.
You can find Marie on the Web:
Twitter: @MWCoutu
2012 Books of Hope Fiction Runner-Up
Mary Annslee Urban
Faithful Counsel Chronicles
Faithful Counsel Chronicles is an inspirational romance series. The trilogy consists of In Love’s Defense, Crimson Ties and Ivy’s Touch. The stories take place in Chicago and revolve around a team of attorneys and the Harrison women they love.
Book One: In Love’s Defense, law student Matti Harrison doesn’t have a say in her law clerk position. She plans to devote her career to help underprivileged women and children, so a high-profile law firm who specializes in litigation doesn’t interest her in the least.
Brought up in a grass-roots middle class family, Matti is intimidated by the social elite. She knows better than to fall into a lifestyle of what her father calls cloned arrogance. So she approaches the clerkship position with one objection―get through the sixteen weeks so she can graduate. The last thing she expects is to fall for her mentor, attorney, Brock Pennington.
Brock, the rising star of the firm nurses a grudge with God because of the death of his mother. Not only was his mother’s death untimely, Brock believes that his Bible-toting step-father’s abuse pushed his mother into a severe depression that eventually led to her overdose. Now Brock has no tolerance for Christians. That is until Matti Harrison steps into his life.
Watch for more information about the upcoming release of In Love's Defense.
About Mary:
Raised in the foothills of Arizona, she survived temperature shock when she moved to Western Pennsylvania, before setting in North Carolina with her husband and children. Aside from writing, Mary works part-time as a Registered Nurse in the Behavioral Health field. She is a member of ACFW, and currently serves as vice-president of Carolina Christian Writers. Her two published novels are, Tapestry of Trust, released June 2012, and She Came to See the Snow~A Colorado Christmas Romance, November 2012.
When she isn’t writing, Mary enjoys cooking, traveling to faraway places, playing with grandbabies and all things chocolate.
Blog
Amazon Author Central
2012 Books of Hope Fiction Runner-Up
Jerusha Agen
Sisters Redeemed Series
When they were kids, life for sisters NYE and ORIANA SANDERS seemed full of promise. Their parents gave them a happy Christian home in Harper, Pennsylvania, and encouraged them to pursue their dreams with confidence, unafraid of the future. But not long into adulthood, Nye is the first to discover that life isn’t the bed of roses they expected.
In Book One: THIS DANCE
When tango dancer Nye Sanders lost what she loved most, she thought she would never survive the agony. Two years later, Nye has learned to live with the pain. She has a new career and life that have nothing to do with the world and faith she left behind. Not about to repeat mistakes of the past, Nye thinks she can dictate a painless future by staying within the walls of her emotional defenses. She doesn’t plan to meet a handsome lawyer or an elderly landowner—two men who will make her face love and the God she can’t forgive.
About Jerusha:
As a writer for more than a decade, Jerusha Agen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and works as a freelance editor. A long-time member of American Christian Fiction Writers, her fiction has appeared in Graphos, a literary journal, and she has had nonfiction articles published in various magazines and newsletters. In addition, she is a screenwriter, and several of her original scripts have been produced as films. Jerusha is also a film critic, with reviews featured at the website, RedeemerReviews.com.
You can find Jerusha on the Web:
Congratulations to all of the winners - and to all of the finalists. You made the selection process very difficult, because the quality of manuscripts we received was excellent!
Winners of the 2012 One Hope contest will be announced next month.
Don't forget - we've announced contests for this year, too! The theme for 2013 is JOY. In the Books of Joy contest, we're seeking series of three or more books; in the One Joy contest, we're seeking standalones; in the Christmas Joy contest, we're looking for Christmas themed books. Books can be fiction or nonfiction. Details are in this post.
(And there's still time to participate in our short story Valentine contest - but the deadline is next week, so you must hurry!)
Friday, November 30, 2012
Winner of The Christmas Tree Treasure Hunt Chapter Contest
First, an invitation. Today, we open the Magnificent Hope Christmas Party! It's a virtual party that will last all of December, so come on over and share your Christmas with us. All our authors are already there, and we have photos, videos, memories, music, quizzes, polls, and lots more! You can drop by and browse, or you can set up an account (just e-mail address and name - there's no cost involved), and then create your own page to share your photos and memories with us! No sales gimmicks - just a new-fangled, old-fashioned Christmas party! Hope to see you there! And tell all your friends we'd love to meet them, too! (We'll be giving away some gift baskets and gift cards all during the month, too - everyone who registers is entered to win!)
Mid-October, we put out a call for a unique writing contest. We wanted to create a Christmas novella with several of our authors, and we opened up one chapter for a "guest author." Anyone interested in participating had to request the contest details, and then start writing. The participants were provided with a short synopsis of the potential story and then were asked to write one chapter of approximately 2500 words based on that synopsis.
As the contestants were writing the entries, eight of our authors were writing their own chapters of The Christmas Tree Treasure Hunt. Our participating authors are:Joan Campbell
Jennifer Fromke
Sheryl Holmes
Deanna Klingel
Fay Lamb
J.A. Marx
Ruth O'Neil
Debbie Roome
They not only wrote their chapters, they also spent precious time brainstorming, editing, marketing, and judging the project, too! They made this project fun, and created a wonderful story for all of you - our readers.
On Monday, we will begin a sharing The Christmas Tree Treasure Hunt on blogs - half a chapter each day. We'll also be introducing you to each of the authors individually, and sharing some of their favorite Christmas memories and recipes with you. Some of the authors even have special posts planned during this time, so you'll want to bookmark all of them and check back regularly. On December 14th, we'll release the entire novella on Kindle. And for four days only, we'll be offering it as a FREE GIFT to everyone, as our way of saying THANK YOU for your support and encouragement of our authors and of our publishing companies.
But today, we're excited to introduce you to the winner of The Christmas Tree Treasure Hunt chapter contest! Please welcome to the WIP family of authors:
Marji Laine
Find her on the web:
Website
Goodreads
Marji jumped right in on this project like she'd been there all along, and one of the judges even made the comment that her chapter fit into the rest of the project like a glove! We're excited to have her, and we can't wait to share the story with you.
Here's a hint of what's coming Monday:
Grace takes delivery of a package and her life is turned upside down by nine sealed mystery envelopes from her late grandmother. Grammie’s instructions require Grace to take the journey of her lifetime, not only to far off places, but also into the deepest parts of her heart. As she follows the trail laid out for her and uncovers her family’s darkest secrets, Grace is forced to confront the loss and betrayal that has scarred her past and seek the greatest Christmas Treasure of all.
[UPDATE: Start reading Chapter One here.]
Monday, September 3, 2012
And the Winner is ...
The "Where in the World is Magnificent Hope?" contest ended Friday and today, we congratulate the winner!!
Bethany had the most correct entries from all 10 weeks of the contest, including bonus entries for sharing the contest with others on Facebook and Twitter! Thanks so much for your support and your enthusiasm, Bethany! As you can see in the photo, Bethany got to hang out with author Jennifer Fromke, Magnificent Hope, and all the participants of the huge booksigning and fundraiser for the Cabarrus Victims Assistance Network in Concord, NC.
Bethany LeBedz is a veteran homeschooler, professional editor, writer, and speaker. She contributes regularly to Heart of the Matter Online, has a regular column in the Home School Enrichment magazine, and occasionally writes for other magazines, websites, and newsletters. Bethany lives in North Carolina with her family, where she enjoys music, reading, scrapbooking, sewing, genealogy, and keeping up with friends in her spare time. Be sure to follow her popular blog, Confessions of an Organized Homeschool Mom.
As winner of the "Where in the World is Magnificent Hope?" contest, Bethany will receive a Kindle Fire, a $100 Amazon gift certificate, and an entire library of digital books.
Thank you to all the participants of "Where in the World is Magnificent Hope?" We hope you had as much fun as we did! We appreciate your support, your enthusiasm, and your participation all summer long!
We had hoped to make another announcement at this time, too, but we're not quite ready. So stay tuned for some more fun news later this week!
Even though this contest has come to an end, Hope Tour 2012 continues with another event later this month. And I have a feeling some more contests will soon be announced!
Bethany LeBedz
Bethany LeBedz is a veteran homeschooler, professional editor, writer, and speaker. She contributes regularly to Heart of the Matter Online, has a regular column in the Home School Enrichment magazine, and occasionally writes for other magazines, websites, and newsletters. Bethany lives in North Carolina with her family, where she enjoys music, reading, scrapbooking, sewing, genealogy, and keeping up with friends in her spare time. Be sure to follow her popular blog, Confessions of an Organized Homeschool Mom.
As winner of the "Where in the World is Magnificent Hope?" contest, Bethany will receive a Kindle Fire, a $100 Amazon gift certificate, and an entire library of digital books.
Thank you to all the participants of "Where in the World is Magnificent Hope?" We hope you had as much fun as we did! We appreciate your support, your enthusiasm, and your participation all summer long!
We had hoped to make another announcement at this time, too, but we're not quite ready. So stay tuned for some more fun news later this week!
Even though this contest has come to an end, Hope Tour 2012 continues with another event later this month. And I have a feeling some more contests will soon be announced!
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Books of Hope Contest Finalists Announced
Write Integrity Press is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2012 Books of Hope contest. Finalists now have until November 30th to submit a full-length manuscript for Book One of their proposed series of three books.
Due to the limited number of entries in the nonfiction category, only two entries were chosen to move forward, and we are awarding contracts for both series.
Congratulations to the Nonfiction Finalists:
Dianne E. Butts, for her nonfiction series entitled Days of Hope.
Jontie Hays, LCSW & Sarah Ulmer, for their nonfiction series entitled Monkey in the Middle. (DISQUALIFIED - 6/19/12)
We'll share more details in the coming weeks. We're thrilled to be publishing these books - they are life-changing!
Choosing the finalists in the Fiction category proved difficult due to the number of entries. But we prevailed and are excited to see the outcome.
Congratulations to the Fiction Finalists (in no particular order):
Bonnie Engstrom, Desert Dreams Series
Dianne E. Butts, Springs Eternal Series (yes, Dianne is a double-finalist!)
Joan Campbell, The Poison Tree Path Chronicles
Lillian Duncan, The Minton Family Mystery Series
Lisa Keck, Shadow of the Steeples Series (WITHDRAWN 7/20/12)
Marie Coutu, Mended Vessels Series
Nancy Lee Bethea, Word Counts Series
Melanie Ironstand, Jeremiah's Journals
Brenda W. McIntyre and Jan Powell, Travelin' Teens Adventures
Jerusha Agen, Sisters Redeemed Series
Mary Annslee Urban, Faithful Counsel Chronicles
Traci Hilton, Plain Jane Mystery Series
Mishael Witty, Sunset's Hope Series
Valerie Goree, Stolen Lives Series
Retyping this list reminded me of the wonderful quality of these submissions - our readers are going to be thrilled! As you can probably guess from the series titles, we received submissions in many different genres, so some may cause you to laugh out loud, others to shed a few tears, some keep you guessing, some will help you grow, and others just make you sigh with contentment. I can't WAIT!!
Congratulations, writers. Time to get busy! We look forward to seeing your full manuscripts in a few months.
Readers - see any on the list that catch your eye already?
Don't forget, Hope Tour 2012 continues all summer - you still have a chance to win a Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet. Magnificent Hope's last stop was with a few young writers - be sure to check out the blog and follow the "Where in the World is Magnificent Hope?" links for a chance to win.
Due to the limited number of entries in the nonfiction category, only two entries were chosen to move forward, and we are awarding contracts for both series.
Congratulations to the Nonfiction Finalists:
Dianne E. Butts, for her nonfiction series entitled Days of Hope.
Jontie Hays, LCSW & Sarah Ulmer, for their nonfiction series entitled Monkey in the Middle. (DISQUALIFIED - 6/19/12)
We'll share more details in the coming weeks. We're thrilled to be publishing these books - they are life-changing!
Choosing the finalists in the Fiction category proved difficult due to the number of entries. But we prevailed and are excited to see the outcome.
Congratulations to the Fiction Finalists (in no particular order):
Bonnie Engstrom, Desert Dreams Series
Dianne E. Butts, Springs Eternal Series (yes, Dianne is a double-finalist!)
Joan Campbell, The Poison Tree Path Chronicles
Lillian Duncan, The Minton Family Mystery Series
Lisa Keck, Shadow of the Steeples Series (WITHDRAWN 7/20/12)
Marie Coutu, Mended Vessels Series
Nancy Lee Bethea, Word Counts Series
Melanie Ironstand, Jeremiah's Journals
Brenda W. McIntyre and Jan Powell, Travelin' Teens Adventures
Jerusha Agen, Sisters Redeemed Series
Mary Annslee Urban, Faithful Counsel Chronicles
Traci Hilton, Plain Jane Mystery Series
Mishael Witty, Sunset's Hope Series
Valerie Goree, Stolen Lives Series
Retyping this list reminded me of the wonderful quality of these submissions - our readers are going to be thrilled! As you can probably guess from the series titles, we received submissions in many different genres, so some may cause you to laugh out loud, others to shed a few tears, some keep you guessing, some will help you grow, and others just make you sigh with contentment. I can't WAIT!!
Congratulations, writers. Time to get busy! We look forward to seeing your full manuscripts in a few months.
Readers - see any on the list that catch your eye already?
A Special Treat from Jennifer Fromke (and a huge hint for the Week 2 photo!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)